A Snake Deserves No Pity

A/N: Ok, I know I took a long time to update this one, but I have an explanation! I wrote the full third chapter, then for some reason when I decided to open it and finish the chapter off the next day, I couldn’t find it. Anywhere. And this pissed me off like crazy ^-^; So I apologize for the long wait! I finally got round to re-writing this!

The door opened so abruptly that Tyson flinched away in surprise. A pale, pointed face peered suspiciously out of the crack of the door, a pair of dark eyes narrowing behind a pair of silver spectacles.

“Yes?”

Tyson cleared his throat a little, suddenly realizing how dry his mouth was. He should have taken a drink. “W-well, erm...” he stuttered, his words coming out as nothing more than a dry croak. The male behind the door scoffed at him with an air of annoyance as he rolled his eyes slowly over Tyson’s frame, taking in his scuffed shoes and mud-plastered shoes. There was a hint of disgust and scorn in his gaze, one that was beginning to make Tyson very uncomfortable.

“I was wondering if... If I could see the Lord of this house,” he questioned, trying to be as firm as he could. At least he’d found his voice again. The thin male gazing at him raised an eyebrow slightly, his nostrils twitching slightly as though Tyson had brought some horrible smell to the house.

“I believe that the master is busy right now,” he answered in a stern voice that reminded Tyson strongly of his schoolteacher back home. “I don’t think he’ll appreciate... visitors right now.” The way he said it made it sound as though visitors were the equivalent to cockroaches scuttling on the floors. Tyson certainly felt small and pathetic right then. Damn it. What was he supposed to do now? It was a long journey back home and he was the last hope for his villagers. He was the last hope for him too... The one who relied on him the most. How could he return home empty handed, after all of this?

“Do you mind? You’re wasting your time,” sneered the man, his grip tightening on the door handle. “Don’t come back here. Goodbye,” he said firmly as he began to shut the door, a sense of despair rising in Tyson’s chest.

A hand much larger than their own suddenly reached out and caught the door right before it slammed shut, keeping a firm hold on it against the rattling wind. It forced it open instead, revealing a little more of the house behind the crack in the door from before.

“Well well,” said a soft voice that seemed almost out of place for such a big, burly sort of man. “What do we have here? Did you come to visit the lord?” The way this guy said it made it sound very different from the sneering way the other servant had said it. Tyson nodded timidly and the new stranger grinned broadly at him, holding the door a little further open in invitation. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Come on in! You must be frozen stiff,” he said kindly, allowing the drenched traveler to duck under his arm and step into the entrance hall easily, as though the furious hissing of the smaller man didn’t exist. Instead he just turned and closed the door behind them with a bang, instantly shutting out the sound of the storm raging outside.

Tyson stepped back for a moment, frozen on the doormat as though he shouldn’t even be there. Who was he kidding? Of course he shouldn’t be there! The mansion that he’d just entered was... amazing.

The entrance hall could have fitted his entire house in quite comfortably three times over with room to spare. The whole thing was covered in elegant white marble, with a gilt staircase leading up to the second floor. Various doors were lined either side, obviously containing other rooms behind them. Other than the two who had just greeted him in (or rather, one that had greeted him and the other that had attempted to shut him out in the cold) the entrance hall was empty apart from a single servant dusting a selection of vases close to the stairs.

Tyson drank in the view in awe. He’d never seen such a huge place before. His entire village could have lived in the house very comfortably, and his town was quite large. The thought that a single person lived in this enormous house - a lord with no family to speak of – was incredible. For a moment, he thought of how blissful that would be. But then he imagined how he would feel if he lived alone, without his friends and family around him and a sense of loneliness crept up within him. For just a moment, he felt a pang of pity for the poor head of the household, but it soon vanished as he turned to look at the two men he’d just met.

The first was a small, pale sort of fellow, with neat head of brown hair fastened back in a short ponytail behind his head. His eyes were sharp and a deep, dark shade of green with a firm look to them behind the light silver spectacles. He was short, perhaps around the same height as Tyson, and very thin. He was dressed formally, with a crisp white shirt, slacks that looked brand new and a deep red waistcoat. A small pile of scrolls were tucked under one arm. His mouth was a thin, displeased line as he stared unblinkingly at their new guest in a way that rather frightened Tyson.

The man next to him was such a huge contrast, it was a little odd to see him standing right next to such a neat sort of person. His hair was black and stuck out in wild curls from his head. His skin was tanned and as he reached out to take Tyson’s sodden jacket he noticed that his fingers were calloused. His clothing was worn and a tad dusty, as though he’d been in a stable all day. He was very broad, but muscular. His shoulders were wide and strong and he was so tall Tyson had to crane his head a little to look at his face. His eyes were a dark brown, sparkling in amusement and his mouth was stretched into a wide, white grin.

“So you want to see the lord, hmm?” It wasn’t a question. The man already knew his answer. Tyson nodded shakily anyway, his teeth chattering a little despite the rush of warmth in the entrance hall compared to the freezing cold weather outside. The tall man grinned even wider – something Tyson had thought was impossible – and turned towards the staircase at the end of the vast room. “Follow me then, please,” he said softly, ignoring whatever protests his companion seemed to have about letting a stranger visit their lonely master.

Klaviere was brooding when the firm rap on his door happened to arrive. “Yes?” he questioned in a tired sort of tone, knowing that it would be something he couldn’t ignore as he’d told the servants not to bother him that evening. The door opened to show the tall servant behind it and Klaviere smiled slightly at the sight of his friend, even if he was wondering why the stableman was coming to see him. “Yes, Rogan? Is something wrong?” he questioned with a hint of concern as he sat up a little more, spreading the blanket over his tail a touch more from the draft the open door brought with it, leaving it completely covered under the thick wool.

Rogan shook his head, that signature smile of his still dancing over his lips. “No, sir. We have a visitor. He wishes to see you,” he explained quietly, stepping to one side to show for the first time that someone else was with him. Klaviere’s eyes widened in surprise as he eyed his guest with a new spark of interest. He too allowed a smile to grace his lips. “Very well, Rogan. Thank you for bringing him. I shall speak with him alone,” he added firmly. The stableman looked a little dejected at not being able to stay and see how his lord reacted to having a guest for the first time in a long while, but he knew an order when he heard one.

“Yes sir,” he said softly, nudging Tyson forward against his will and exiting the room, closing the door behind him and leaving the room eerily silent in his wake.

“Take a seat, my young visitor,” offered Klaviere quietly with a vague gesture of his hand to the seat in front of him. “And tell me why you are here to speak with me.”

With trembling fingers, Tyson slowly lowered himself on the padded plush cushion, trying to work out what on earth he was going to say. All he could do was say what he needed to and pray that the noble god could somehow help him solve the problem that was tearing his entire village apart.

A/N: Please review? Pretty please? :D